‘First of its kind’ nursing degree linked with Cavan hospital

For Killygarry native Mary Clemenger, a highly experienced lecturer in nurse education, the development of a BSc (Hons) course at Hibernia College, a “first of its kind” course delivered through blended learning, was “common sense”, and could yet prove “crucial” in solving staffing shortages in hospitals across the country.

To have the course link-in first with Cavan General Hospital, along with Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, to provide learners with the required mix of hands-on practical clinical learning, traditional classroom-based and online learning, was a point of pride.

“I think it’s a wonderful hospital and has served the community brilliantly over many years,” Mary says of CGH, when visiting the facility last week to help launch the course locally.

From Aghalacken to be precise, Mary trained at Dublin’s St James’ hospital before moving during the recession in the 1980s to work in the UK for more than a decade. Whilst there she earned a qualification in Biological Science and, while working mainly as an Intensive Care nurse, discovered a second vocation - a love of teaching.

“You worked and you learned on the job, that’s the way it was back in the day. It only went into the colleges here in 1994,” explains Mary of how nursing was taught in Ireland in the past.

“I came back in 1996, and worked with DCU when it was only a Diploma. After that I worked with Trinity, because I’d been working in universities in England. I always loved the sciences.”

Mary was a key part of the team that formalised the first four-year nursing degree in the early 2000s and, since then, has gone on to play a significant role in helping shape academic validation and professional course accreditation processes in nursing in Ireland as we know them today.

Between stints freelancing, working in the private health sector, and semi-retirement, Mary remained involved in health education and was asked to come on board with Hibernia College when the organisation, mainly recognised as a private college for teacher education, saw an opportunity to facilitate a new part-distance learning BSc (Hons) in General Nursing.

“This is unique because it’s blended learning, the first of its kind. This college has incredible experience, over 20 years, in training teachers, primary and secondary. About 900 teachers qualify each year, and now they’re [Hibernia] turning their hand to training nurses.”

Graduates will have a deep understanding of the nature of care as well as a highly developed capacity to be exemplary in clinical practice.

The course lasts three years and four months as opposed to four years in a traditional college environment. Students get a one-month break in a year, and at the end will receive a Level 8 Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a professional accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

The next student intake is due Spring 2024 and Spring 2025, and Mary says the course curriculum took years to develop.

A feasibility study in 2016 found that 500 plus young people are leaving Ireland to train as nurses in the UK. Then Brexit hit.

“That was our market immediately. All because they couldn’t get places here. Then Brexit came and a whole other avenue of opportunity opened up. So they’re here, they pay their own fees, but the great thing is they don’t have to find a flat or pay for accommodation.”

Retention is tracked, and each week there are live webinars.

“Skills days” meanwhile are held at a lab at the Royal College of Surgeons.

“We’ve students everywhere, in the private sector mainly, but this is our first link up with a HSE hospital and we couldn’t be more excited by it. It’s absolutely fabulous [at CGH]. They do everything here - paediatrics, maternity, it’s small and the students are going to get a great experience.”

Caroline Keyes, director of nursing at CGH, and general manager, Su-zann O’Callaghan, are delighted by the link-up and the possibilities it creates.

“We have students who are up in maternity for this two weeks, and then they’ll move into [paediatrics] where they’ll be supported by our own practice development team and work alongside other second year students.”

She acknowledges that there is a “massive shortage” of nurses in Ireland at the present time, and sees this course as a way to “grow our own, in innovative ways, and cultivate the skill set necessary for our hospital settings”.

Ms O’Callaghan says the hospital is especially pleased to have been chosen for learners, and believes the reputation fostered locally, as being a place where young nurses can gain important learning experience, is now widely recognised.

“We’re keen to develop our nurses through career pathways and we certainly have great facilities here to support them. We have a great nurse leadership here and Ireland really has to look at all opportunities to encourage nursing numbers.”

Dr Philip Hardie, director of the Hibernia nursing programme, the short-term learning timeframe will mean that more people can graduate from their course and at a quicker pace.

“A lot of our students are mature students also, so they’re committed to staying in Ireland which, in the long run, should help contribute to building the nursing workforce in Ireland.”

Htoo Htoo Lar from May is one of the new intake, currently on work experience at CGH.

She learned about the course through another family member who was aware of her wish to become fully qualified. Before this Htoo Htoo had worked in a nursing home and says: “I’m staying up here while I’m on placement. I’m really loving it, and the crew is so nice, so lovely.”

Htoo Htoo already had completed a pre-nursing course, and through her employment worked through Covid, an experience that only spurred her on.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and now being at [CGH] I definitely know this is what I want.”